BONA2018 | BREAKTHROUGH DJ: REZZ

There’s no denying REZZ was a breakout star of 2017. Miraculously, she’s also the truest breakout star of 2018, and she’ll probably keep up the groundbreaking trend over the next decade. Where others ride the bandwagon and mimic of-the-moment trends, REZZ is paving a path of her own with a signature sound defined by her burning penchant for low-slung bass and downtempo beats from space.

The rise of REZZ is nothing short of a phenomenon. Born in Ukraine, REZZ cut her teeth in the regional Canadian dubstep scene after relocating to the Great White North as a kid. It was there where she discovered the bass-heavy sounds of internationally touring artists like Bassnectar, Pretty Lights and Zeds Dead. She started producing her own original music by 2015; both Skrillex and deadmau5 championed her later that year, with the former releasing her debut ‘Insurrection’ EP on OWSLA offshoot NEST. But it was the latter who fully integrated her into the mau5trap family via her ‘The Silence Is Deafening’ and ‘Something Wrong Here’ EPs, both released in 2016. Today, REZZ thrives as mau5trap’s unquestionably brightest star.

Fast-forward to 2017, and REZZ is literally on top of the world with the release of ‘Mass Manipulation’, her debut artist album. Led by power single ‘Relax’, which today counts nearly three million Spotify streams, ‘Mass Manipulation’ is her official introduction to the world as a certified artist and producer. Where her previous releases gave glimpses of her potential, the LP captures the sound of a genuine star in the making. The hope for the masses to listen became galvanized when she won Electronic Album of the Year at the 2018 Juno Awards in Canada.

This year is yet again bound to top the massive year REZZ had before, with her Mass Manipulation World tour, which kicked off last September, taking her to Coachella, where she dropped two massive closing sets at the Sahara Tent, EDC Las Vegas and Movement last month. She now heads to Paradiso, Electric Forest, FVDED In The Park, Tomorrowland, Lollapalooza in Paris and Chicago, Shambhala and more all summer. If that isn’t enough, REZZ will put out a new album this year, which means even more musical goodies and headbanging shows.

John Ochoa is the editor-at-large of DJ Mag North America. You can find him living his best life on Twitter.